🔗 Share this article

Ex-prime minister Philippe, a one-time ally of Macron, has voiced his support for early presidential polls considering the gravity of the political crisis affecting the nation.

The remarks by Édouard Philippe, a leading centre-right hopeful to follow Macron, were made as the outgoing prime minister, Lecornu, started a final bid to rally cross-party endorsement for a new cabinet to pull the country out of its worsening parliamentary gridlock.

Urgency is critical, the former PM informed RTL radio. We cannot continue what we have been experiencing for the past six months. Eighteen more months is unacceptable and it is harming the country. The political game we are participating in today is distressing.

His remarks were supported by Bardella, the head of the nationalist National Rally, who on Tuesday stated he, too, favored first a dissolution of parliament, subsequently parliamentary elections or premature presidential voting.

Macron has asked Sébastien Lecornu, who submitted his resignation on Monday morning less than four weeks after he was named and half a day after his fresh government was presented, to continue for a brief period to try to save the government and chart a solution from the turmoil.

Macron has stated he is willing to assume his responsibilities in case of failure, officials at the presidential palace have told French media, a comment widely interpreted as meaning he would schedule early legislative elections.

Growing Dissent Among Macron's Supporters

Indications also emerged of increasing unrest inside Macron's own ranks, with former PM Attal, another former prime minister, who chairs the the centrist alliance, saying on Monday night he could not comprehend the president's choices and it was necessary to attempt a new approach.

Lecornu, who resigned after political opponents and supporters as well condemned his cabinet for not representing enough of a change from earlier governments, was convening with group heads from the morning at his residence in an attempt to overcome the stalemate.

Context of the Turmoil

The French Republic has been in a political crisis for more than a year since Macron announced a snap election in 2024 that resulted in a divided legislature split among three approximately similar-sized groups: socialist groups, nationalist factions and his centrist bloc, with no majority.

Sébastien Lecornu earned the title of the most transient PM in recent times when he quit, the country's fifth prime minister since the president's 2022 victory and the third since the legislative disbandment of last year.

Future Elections and Economic Challenges

Each faction are staking out their positions before elections for president set for 2027 that are expected to be a pivotal moment in the nation's governance, with the right-wing party under Marine Le Pen believing its best chance yet of taking power.

It is also, being played out against a deepening financial crisis. France's debt-to-GDP ratio is the EU's among the top three after Greece and the Italian Republic, approximately two times the maximum permitted under EU rules – as is its estimated fiscal shortfall of almost six percent.